How a Speech Can Change Everything
by Balko94
Summary: This story bases on spoilers for the episode 3x21.  Don't read it when you avoiding spolers!  Alex, Castle's protege, is in town and with a speech he opens Beckett's eyes about something very important.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, this great series is own by Andrew Marlowe**

Alex Conrad known Richard Castle now since two years. Alex was his protege and he was Alex's teacher. In Castle's eyes Alex were a very talented writer. He had come to New York to promote his first mystery novel and he was only nineteen years old, very young for a professional author. In the meantime, while he hadn't to be on promotion settings, Alex followed Castle at his work: Following/Shadowing homicide-detective Kate Beckett around at her work. One thing noticed during his first day in the homicide-squad: Kate Beckett was completely in love with Castle. And Alex knew that Castle was in love with her. Castle had never told Alex about his feelings for Kate but Alex figured out by the he spoken about her. He was maybe only nineteen years old but he was already a pro in reading the facial expressions of people. That was also the reason how he could figured out, by only watching them for a few minutes, that Kate was not really happy in her relationship with her boyfriend Josh. But he asked himself a question: Why Rick didn't notice that?

* * *

Today was Alex's last day in the city and he was sitting in the 12th precinct. While he was waiting in the break room for Castle, detective Esposito and his partner detective Ryan came in. "Hey guys. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Alex. What's up?" Esposito and Ryan where the whole time very friendly to Alex. They had even allow him to interrogate a suspect together with them.

"It's about Rick and Beckett. They seem very close but Rick don't notice that she isn't really happy on her relationship. Why?"

The two looked at each other and Esposito decided that it was his responsibility to answer that question: "I don't know, maybe because he began to distance himself from Beckett two months ago."

Alex bit himself on his upper lip the exactly opposite of that what Beckett did when she wasn't sure what she would do next. "Do you know why he began to distance himself from her?"

This time gave him the answer: "Two months ago it seems like Beckett's and Josh's relationship is going to an end because he wanted to go to Haiti for Doctors without boarders. But then he decided to stay and Beckett thought their relationship has a chance. She decided to become more serious with Doctor Motorcycle-Boy and I think that that broke his heart and is the reason why he isn't hanging around here anyday and is only coming when we have a case." Alex nodded and thanked the two guys for the answer. He left the breaking room and went to Beckett desk. He sat down on Castle's chair and waited for detective Beckett.

* * *

A few minutes later Beckett arrived at her desk and beheld in Castle's chair. "Hello Alex. I thought you would had left at this time." She smiled and sat down on her chair.

"No", Alex responded, "I was waiting for Rick and in the meantime I wanted to talk with you."

Kate looked irritated. "Talking? About what?"

"About you and Rick. I know that he loves you. He may haven't told you yet and maybe never will while you are in a relationship with Josh because he respect this relationship too much. An I know you love him. Before you protest: I saw the way you look at him, it is the exactly same way he is looking at you." Alex took a short breath and before Kate could protest he continued: "He haven't noticed but I and your colleagues have notice that you aren't really happy in your relationship with Josh. Do you want to know why Rick hasn't notice it yet and maybe never will?" Kate nodded, strained of what would come next. "He had began to distance himself from you. Since to months, since you decide to become serious with Josh. He would never told you but that had hurt him, it had broken him, it shattered his heart into pieces. He try to stay with you, I don't know why, maybe because he loves you so much, but some day he will go. Maybe when you and Josh move together or he propose you and you say yes or when you two marry. I don't know when he will leave but he will. Maybe he will phone you or send you a card when he hear that you had born your first baby. But that was it. And then some day in the future, you will sit on your table and read the paper and discover a short article about him. Not about a party or a new book, a article written by Alexis about his death. And you will feel tears in your eyes and ask you the question who was there when he died. You will think about that and begin to ask yourself another question: Why I wasn't there? Then you will look on the other side of the table and discover the answer: Josh, your husband. And to answer your first question: Nobody out of Alexis and his best friends. Maybe I am but I don't know. After leaving you behind he will be never able to put his heart in another relationship, again. He will maybe return to his old playboy persona, maybe not. But in the end there will be only a few people around him when he passes out. And it is your decision if you want to be one of these people or not. You must decide between Josh and Rick. You must decide who you really want and who of them is more important to you. And don't listen to your head when you make this decision listen to your heart." Alex had finally finished his speech when Rick arrived.

"Are you ready to go Alex?" Alex nodded and said goodbye to Beckett. "Good night detective." There was it again. "Good night." In the last two months Beckett had heard that very often from Castle. In the two years before he had never said this, he had refused to say it because it was to hopeless. She began to ask herself why he began to use that phrase. She remembered the speech of Alex and found the answer: He really had began to distance himself from her and lost hope. But hope for what? What Alex really right in this point too? Had Castle hoped that there was a chance for him to be or to get in a relationship with her? Did he really love her? Beckett sat on her desk and thought a few minutes about it. In the end it was the only logical explanation for Castle's behaviour. He loves her and she had broken her had. She felt the tears in her eyes when she recognised that she could loose him because she was so selfish. She was a detective why she had never recognised that on her own? How had this young man figured this all out in only five days? But that wasn't important know the only important thing now for Beckett was to make a decision which wasn't a really decision.

Beckett closed her notebook when she heard footsteps from behind her. She turned around and saw the face of the man she was going to break the heart. "Hello Josh." She tried to smile but the couldn't. Alex was right, she had to make a decision between two men she really loved. And the had made her decision. Castle was the one who made her happy every time even when she was really upset he could bring a smile on her face. Josh couldn't he didn't understand her enough for it. Castle understood her completely. She knew that both men where there for her every time but while it was okay for her when Castle was with or even when he interrupts her moments with Josh it wasn't okay for her when Josh did the same with her moments with Castle. It wasn't okay for her it annoyed her. Clear some of Castles actions annoyed her to but at the same time they let her laugh, she enjoyed them and found them sweat but when Josh did something annoying it bothered her. It was very clear that she didn't love him so much as she loved Castle and she knew it. She knew it for a long time but she had denied them till today. Now she recognised that she would loose Castle when continue that.

"Hey Sweetie." Josh smiled at her, really happy and it hurt her that she was going to break his heart.

"We need to talk." She grasped his arm and throw into pull into the empty breaking room.

"What is? Have I done something wrong?" Josh was really irritated and looked a little bit annoyed to his girlfriend.

"I think it is the best when I make it short. I wish it could be easier and it wouldn't break your heart but there is no other way. Josh you are a great guy and I really love you but I don't want to share the rest of my life with you. I thought this is what I wanted and I was in parts right but it's definitely not what I need. You are not who I need." Beckett avoided eye contact to Josh.

"What do you mean?" Was Josh really so stupid that he haven't figured it out by himself now? Beckett asked herself.

"It's over. Between us I mean. We are not longer a couple." Beckett wanted to go, but Josh hold her tight.

"Why? What had I done?" He was angry and totally irritated by Beckett's decision.

"You didn't anything wrong but you aren't the one with who I want to spend the rest of my life with. You mus know something about me: I am a One-and-Done-Girl and I swear to myself that I will only become really serious with a guy when I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with. And I don't think you are this one." Beckett felt a few tears in her eyes but she wasn't really sad about her decision more happy than sad.

"And do you think is your One-and-Done?" Josh got really angry. He known the answer: It was Castle.

"I don't know. The only thing that I knew is that you aren't." She managed to get rid of his grasp and left the room. Josh rushed out of the precinct as fast as he could. Beckett went back to her desk and tried to find any work which she hadn't done yet. But there was no work. After a few minutes of thinking about her next steps, Beckett decided to go to Castle. On her way to him Beckett's brain finally took over and changed her mind. It was to early. She had only broken up with her boyfriend a few minutes ago, she couldn't drive to Castle and dive immediately in a relationship with him. Beckett turned her car and drove home happy about her decision.

**I don't know if I continue the story but please review this chapter. BTW I'm from Germany and just a stutend which means that I'm just in the learning phase. Please forgave me if I had made a few mistakes.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

A few days later Kate sat at home and was really bored. Since she had broken up with Josh she didn't know what to do with her free time. After turning the TV out, she tried to get some sleep, but she failed. It wasn't because she was sorry about her decision four days ago which she made about Josh it was more because of the decision she made about Castle and telling him how she felt. After a few more minutes of trying to get some sleep she stood up and changed her clothes. She didn't want to be alone today so was there only one thing which she could do: finding some company. First she thought about Lanie but then she reminded herself that she was certainly with Esposito and that left only one option: Castle. And with him his whole family, Martha and Alexis. Kate may hadn't spend much time with this two women but she knew that they liked her and she liked them. Especially Alexis. She reminded Kate sometimes of herself. Kate didn't knew what but this young woman had something that she could also see in herself. The maybe curiousest thing about Alexis was that she was really more like Kate than like her own mother Meredith. Alexis hadn't it told anybody, not even her boyfriend Ashley, but she saw Kate as a mother figure and as her guide.

While Kate drove to Castle's Loft she thought about this idea and said to herself that it was stupid to drive to him around midnight. Maybe he had a visitor. Another one of his One-Night-Stands, she thought but then she realized that he hadn't any date since he had broken up with Gina. He told her about that, Martha did this too. There was no doubt about it: Castle was no longer a playboy. And when Alex was really right than she was the reason for his change.

After an half hour she was finally at his loft. She entered the building and used the elevator to get upstairs to his loft. When she appeared on his door she heard a laugh. A woman laughed but it wasn't Martha or Alexis. Maybe he returned to his old lifestyle. She wanted to go but then the door opened and the woman stood in front of her. She was tall nearly so tall as Kate. She had brown hair and green-brown eyes. She looked sexy but not really gorgeous Kate thought. "You must be Kate." said the woman.

"Who is there?" Asked Castle the woman with a tired voice.

"It's your friend, Kate." Without saying more the woman let Kate into the loft. Castle stood up and walked over to Kate. The woman closed the door. Before Kate or Castle could say something the stranger woman introduce herself to Kate: "Hello I am Julia, an old friend of Richard. It's nice to met you, I have heard a lot about you even from Alexis."

Kate gulped hard. This Julia known Alexis which meant that she and Castle were very close. "Julia is the ex-girlfriend of my cousin Nate", Castle explained, "And now the wife of my good friend George. We are barely planed his surprise birthday party for next weekend." Kate felt how a stone fallen from her heart. Julia was once a part of the family what explained why she knew Alexis and now she was married to a close friend of Castle what explained why she was here today. "What are you doing here?"

Kate closed her eyes before she answered. "We need to talk Rick." Castle's heart nearly stopped beating. Kate had used his first name, something that had only happened twice since they had met: When they investigated their first case together and a few months ago when she was thrown out of her mothers case.

Castle led Kate into his office and offered her a seat. "So about what we need to talk?" He prepared himself for the worst, which would have been the massage that she and Josh would marry or move out of the city.

"I had broken up with Josh a few days ago." Kate wanted to look into Castle's eyes and she tried it but she couldn't why she looked to the ground.

"I'm sorry." Castle was shocked about this revelation. He didn't know why, he should have been happy that he maybe had again a chance with Kate but he felt really sorry for her.

"You don't need to be. It hadn't worked good since a few weeks. It took me a little time until I recognised that he isn't the right person for me to become really serious because I don't love him enough for that." She bat herself in the lower lip because she wanted to avoid that she confess her feelings for Castle to him right now. "So I was alone this evening and I was really bored. I thought I could find some company here, but..."

She couldn't finish her sentence then Castle interrupts her: "You can stay as long as you want. Julia and I were nearly ready with our conversation. We will continue it tomorrow with a few other friends." He smiled at her and for the first time since she entered the office she looked into his face. She returned the smile.

Both left the office together, but before anyone could say something they heard a scream from upstairs: "Dad!" Alexis yelled very loud.

Castle, Kate and Julia were by Alexis room as fast as they could. Even Martha was awake from Alexis scream. She was observable irritated of Kate's present in the loft but moved her thoughts about this aside, to concentrate herself completely on the problems of her granddaughter. Castle opened the door. "What is pumpkin?"

Alexis pointed to the radio. "I heard about a explosion in the radio. It was Kate's house, the house in which she lives Dad, it exploded by a gas leak." Castle could see the tears in the eyes of her daughter.

"I'm all right Alexis." said Kate and entered her room. Alexis couldn't belief her eyes. There she stood right in front of her, the only person who was ever something like a mother to her. The only other person who came nearly to this was Gina, by the way. Alexis couldn't belief that Kate was here in her room and not at home and with that probably dead. She jumped from her bed right to Kate and took her in a bear hug. Kate didn't knew how to react but instinctively she returned the hug. She was glad that she wasn't at home. She was glad to be here with three people who really cared about her. When she looked to Castle he was stoned. Not by the reaction of his daughter but by the news in the radio. He looked really worried. "It's okay Rick, I standing right in front of you." She tried her best to smile at him to let him feel better.

"I know but I can't really belief it." And before Kate or Alexis or Martha or Julia could say something, Rick joined his daughter and gave his two favourite women a bear hug. Martha smiled when she saw that and led Julia back to the living room. Kate remembered in this moment something she heard a few months ago: She and Castle had investigated in the murder of the famous medium Vivien Marchand and the daughter of the victim, Penny, told Kate that she had a dream about her and a Alexander who would be really important to her and may will safe her life. She didn't care these forecasting till Castle told her that his given name was Richard Alexander Rodgers, not Richard Edgar Castle. She began to belief in the forecasting and now she began to ask herself something: What when Alex and not Castle was this Alexander? He had opened her eyes about Castle and his feelings which was the reason why she ended the things with Josh. And that again was the reason why she wasn't at home this night. He had safe her life and brought her closer to a possible future with Castle.

Then it flashed straight trough Kate's mind: She had lost her home, again. Now she hadn't any place to go. And what she said next, she couldn't belief: "Can I stay here for tonight. I mean now, where my place where blown up again." She couldn't resist to laugh.

Castle and Alexis smiled at her. "Sure. I think you haven't forgotten where the guest room is, haven't you?" Kate shook her had. She free herself from the embrace of Castle and Alexis, two of the three most important persons in her life, the third was her father Jim. She realized that she had to call him and tell him that she was okay. When she entered the guest room, alone to her luck, she took the cell phone out and dial a for her very famous number, the number of her fathers phone.

"Kate I was just … I wanted just calling you, are you okay, I mean. I heard about the explosion in the radio."

"Yeah I'm okay. I was at Castle's place when everything happened." She explained to her dad with no sign of awkwardness in her voice. The phone talk only took a few minutes and after she finished the call, she went back to the living room. Where Castle was waiting for her.

"I'm so glad that you are fine." He said to her, with a happy smile on his face but a kind of sadness in his eyes.

"I'm too and I'm very happy to be here." She said. For a few moments they only stood there, glanced to each other till Beckett said: "I was only coming down again to say good night."

"Good night Kate. Until tomorrow." Rick smiled and turn around to go to his own room.

"Yeah until tomorrow Rick." Kate said and went upstairs again. She couldn't belief it, not only that she will spend the night on Castle's Loft but also that they had began to call each other by their first names and it didn't feel strange in any possible way. It only felt right.


End file.
